Jianhua 2004 on school campus

Debi-z,
Thanks so much.
Your participation makes the thread even more hot-dog.
Yes,whenever I listen to the edelweiss,
I will be inspired by an indescribable emotion.
Tears well up into my eyes,and stream down from my cheeks.
A good song is universal.
I always believe that when east and west touch together,
there will be a lot for us to share --
cultures,customs,education,literatures and arts,etc.
However,due to the so-called 'culture shock',
it is unavoidable to bring about some misunderstandings
when we communicate with each other.
Taking an example,suppose you are invited to dinner in a Chinese family.
The host will serve you a table of delicious dishes,
saying,'Excuse me for the poor dishes.'
You may wonder what he means by saying so.
He wants to get praised by you.
This is the way of our Chinese doing things --
always keep in mind the good virtue of modesty.
Likewise,you can guess the real meaning of 'comment ... from head to toe'.
Debi-z,of the items phoenix,meditation and confession,
they all mean one thing:
I am trying to be a perfect man in the eyes of God (often read the Bible)
and to be a more socially useful man.
Well,I hope some of your questions have been answered.
Jianhua

Jianhua, it seems to me you are a well balanced individual. There's a saying that some are so Heavenly minded they are no earthly good. That is not the case with you, for you strive to please and honor God, but also be a socially useful man.

Thinks Imma adopt Jianhua. He's now my Lil` Puddin` Cake. :)
No no Jianhua, do not try and flee, it will be okay. Just sit there, yes yes.. lemme put this bonnet on you- there ya go. Have a flower for your hair.
Awe so pretty! Hehehe.
Hungry? Here have some fried chicken and mashed taters. Nummy!
*prepares to run*. :D Weee

gardenwife,
'A balanced individual' am I?
Maybe yes. ):
Quite a few of my kids are fond of looking up the Zodiac.
They get my birthdate,and tell me
that I belong to the 'Balance' (Latin:Libra),
the constelliation between the Virgo and Scorpius.
And they even tell me, according to the signs,
that my lucky direction is in the southwest,
and my lucky time in Fall.
Interesting,isn't it? ):

Tell your children "for everything there is a season", so they're all lucky seasons! ;)

Jianhua:
Now, where is home (where the swallows are?), where you will be for the summer?

I have been to PRC but never to Nanjing.
~'spin!~

Balanced Person? Yes, I will not at all disagree! Here's the Chinese Zodiac for you: http://www.chinatoday.com/culture/zodiac/zodiac.htm
http://www.paulnoll.com/China/Zodiac/index.html

Which is your year of Birth, Jian? Am sure you believe in this. Mine is the year of the Dog and many things do coincide!

hi Jian =)

hi Dinu ... probably the year of the monkey LOL

thank you jian, i appreciate you responding to my questions.

Crimsontsavo,
Hoho~~,I know your Florida is covered with flowers.
The bonnet is to be kept for you,
and let my kids go there for the flowers,
if you don't mind.
But the question is how to...?
By broomstick like Harry Potter? ):

Crystalspin,
Now I am teaching in the city of Nanjing,
a metropolis on the Yangtze River.
And my hometown is in Henan Province,
central part of China.
Summer vacation is just around the corner,
I am planning to go home for my vacation.
MavieRose,
I am a rabbit,or you can call me Bunny or Rascal.):
Dinu,
I know you are a father with daughters who are at school.
That is why you feel very interested in children education.
Well,one of my kids writes an English composition with the title
'Generation Gap'.Keep your eyes in here recently.

Well, now a days we use big flying machines that crash through the air! LOL
I dun know though, can your kids handle alligators? hehe.
That would be a neat field trip though. They could see all our wildflowers and birds and stuff!

Sounds uniquely enjoyable to have a floating trip on gator-back? ):
In the lower Yangtze River there once lived plentiful alligators(Alligator sinensis),but now people can only see some bred ones in some natural parks.These places are my kids' favorite
places to visit.They enjoy watching them through the nets shedding tears.(ecos...)
Summertime here is the right season for the Yulan (Magnolia denudata) to fully bloom.Some of my kids are wearing the flower-necklaces these days.I can smell the strong fragrance. And what's more,they are used to drive mosquitoes away.

Dinu,
This is the diary one of my kids writes.
Pan Chao is a 14-year-old boy,who has studied English for less than 3 years.Here he expresses his thoughts in the heart about the relationship between father and son.

'Stop listening to your CD player.What noisy music!'
'Don't be online any more.Internet is a jungle.'
'Don't watch action movies.Full of blood and no use for you.'
'You must study hard if you want to be a VIP in the future.'
I simply don't know why father is always having so many musts and mustn'ts.
It seems that between us there is a so-called generation gap
which is waiting us to bridge.
Father grew up in the old days, and he recieved very different education from
that I do in the changing and modern world.
But he should know with the fast world's develoment people's ideas are changing.
Not only other men but also father should accept the facts.
He should listen to me carefully and respect my interest and hobbies.
He should pay more attention to my full growth.
The only way of bridging the genaration gap is,i think, by continuous communicating.
Yeah I truly think so.
And only when the generation gap disappears that we can get on well with each other and the whole family will live in harmony.I think the best way for me to do is to try to make friends with my father!

here is another English composition.From it you can find the little writer's true love to his father.
Father's Love
One day,i had a bad cold.I felt very tired and went to sleep.Suddenly I felt someone touching my forehead.
I opened my eyes,it was my father.He looked very anxious.
After taking my temperature,he hurriedly carried me to a hospital.it was dark outside,we could not find any taxi.
With me on his back,father made his way toward the hospital.When we got there,I found sweat slipping down his face.After the examination,my father carried my home.he attended my carefully,feeding medicine,taking temperature and wiping sweat.Tow days later,I gradually got better.asmile returned on my father's face.I realized that the father's love is also inselfish.

Three years, his progress is astounding! I have read many essays by American children of that age that were not half so well written. Congratulate the boy and encourage him to continue his studies. He has the ability to become a VIP in his future.

It just goes to show how alike people are despite our different cultures and our geographic distance. I love to read the thoughts of young people around the world. THanks for posting this.

Thanks Jianhua for sharing those wonderful compositions. It is really amazing how one can write so well being so young. It only reflects the quality of the teacher too. Kudos. I have also studied in English Medium throughout and the Convent always encouraged us to speak in English with the intentions of improving the overall ability. I hesitated to deviate from my mother tongue Kannada and never became a good speaker! This trait follows me till date. Children should be made to think, not just write down the answers in the prescribed way. They should be allowed to have their own ways of expression. These, the schools, never encourage for various reasons. The quality of education should be the topmost criterion and not quantity.

I have noticed that children growing in joint families are better off as regards to general common sense and wisdom that are more important when they grow up. They can handle situations independently, contrary to those who grow in nuclear families. I don't know if joint families still are a popular tradition in China. Here in India, the elders are slowly ignored (which is very very sad) as they get old due to various reasons. Money takes the top priority (again, it is very very sad) and sentiments and affection are pushed aside. Those are not good at all. Of course this is a general observation. A healthy and friendly family atmosphere breeds a wise-minded intelligent child. Not for nothing that they say that when one reaches 18, he/she should be looked at like a friend by the parents.

Zanymuse,
The work was done by the little kid by himself.
I just put a little 'salt' in it.
So far the boy has taught himself the English teaching courses ' New Concept English' by A.G.Alexander,and 'Family Album U.S.A' by Howard Beckerman.
He is the few of my kids who have good senses in English learning.
The boy is good at writing English articles.Recently he also handed in two compositions to me 'Human and Nature' and 'Neuropathist and Genius'.I wonder why the boy has so many strange ideas.Of course while writing his compositions,he will meet some new words.But this is easy for him to deal with-- he has an e-dictionary.

Gardenwife,
Yes,geography is different,but kids' hearts are similar.
Some of my boys also love playing and watching football .
These days they are being hooked by the European Football Matches.They can tell you in great delight which VS which,and who beats who.For example,Greece beats Portugal 1-0,and Bulgaria loses 5 against Swede.

Dinu,
The joint families of four generations have almost disappeared in China.Being the family planning policy,more and more families belong to 'a family of three'.This brings about some problems on children education.Parents spoil their kid --whatever he asks for,they will give him.They regard their son as a sun.And a kid living in such an enviroment is usually selfish,strong-headed.A slight setback will beat him down.So their parents are worried a lot about the situation.They put their hope upon the teachers.
What will a teacher do?

In Sanskrit, "Matrudevobhava, Pitrudevobhava and Gurudevobhava", is uttered in that order. "Matru" is Mother, "Pitru" is Father and "Guru" is the Teacher. The first teacher is the Mother and then Father. Next is the Teacher. All play an important role in the child's development. All three have to be respected. The teacher has a great responsibility besides the parents.

Some philosophy has to go into your system of upbringing the child. It is sad to learn that the kid is pampered due to the Govt. Poilcies indirectly. The parents have to resist themselves to giving too many comforts to the growing child. He does not know the difficulties when he grows up and he fails to understand the intricacies of life. He/She should be made to learn the difficulties by making them experience deliberately. What do you say?

jianhua, i was taken by your statement 'A slight setback will beat him down.' i see this happening in many children here in the states too. parents want to give there child what they didn't have growing up and the backlash is that the child grows up feeling that the world owes him these things. when they turn of age to take care of themselves and find there own way they are often resentful that they can't have what they did growing up in there parents homes. many are content to work little, play much, and live at home with mom and/or dad for an inappropriate amount of time. the parents often taking on there childrens debt and responsabilities well into adulthood.
i often am reminded of the saying, but i can't remember it all, but it says basicly says that parents, family, the community is responsible to give children the nourishment they need to grow and the wings to fly, like a butterfly, off on there own.

dinu, i agree with your philosophy and your comment that the adult has to let there child 'deliberately experience' life, so that they 'understand the intricacies of life'. i was fortunate in that i grew up knowing that i would be responsible for myself one day. the work ethic, education, and self responsibility in actions and thought were all lessons i learned. did i have a lot to learn as a child and then when i left the home? you bet ya. but i am a better person because of this. and i was given the tools as a child to resolve these problems as an adult.

i find so many people today blame everyone else for there actions. 'so and so told me i should do this.' therefore it is there responsibility that i'm in this situation. 'my parents didn't do this or that' so therefore it is there responsibility to resolve the problem. etc.... grown adults fall into this trap, as children and never learn self responsibility of there actions. it is very sad to see and often frustrating to deal with.
also, i see less and less tolerance of others here in my community. what do you say about this? do you see this too in your communities?
i'm learning so much here on this thread. thank you
debi z

Debbie- I couldnt agree with you more.:-)

I grew up in an atmosphere of a joint family that had few problems, but I must say that I was lucky to have been born in a family of wonderful people, respected by others, kind people, compassionate people who always helped others in some way or other. This "give" attitude is what is nowadays deteriorating. It's only the "take" (by wretched means also) the present generations know (of course, this has to be a very general comment). This is what we see more and more these days. So, a child growing in the latter's atmosphere can only be selfish, self-centered grown-up.

There was a lecture in my home a few days ago by one of the "Gurus". He was mentioning that:
~We should not form any opinion on others.
~We should not suggest to someone without being asked.
~We should always lend a helping hand to those in need, without expecting any form or return.

These are some of the points that he went on to explain in detail. It was a scintillating lecture. Every time he speaks, there are words of wisdom from the Masters.

Such things should be taught to the growing child, besides studies. What do you say?

Good comments are all yours.
Cultivating chidren is much more complicated than cultivating flowers.It requires a harmonious system of 'trinity',that is,parents,teachers and kids.Being 'the second parent' of kids(a teacher referred in China),he should not only teach his kids knowledge,but also teach them how to be a man --a man which grows up healtily.He should have a heart of love,charity and mercy.So it is of great importance for a teacher to improve his cultural and moral level.And education psychology is a necessarity for a teacher.

Good 'should and should not' lecture.
For thousands of years,our education system has followed the ways of Confucius' doctrines --teachers were regarded to be sacred.Students were not permitted to question a sir's (teacher) authority.A slight rebellion of students would bring forth a body punishment.But that was an old calendar.
With China's opening to the outside world,more and more advanced education concepts are introduced in.Teachers are no longer regarded as children's emperors,but are friends and comrades.Students and teachers can sit together discussing any concerning issues.And students can give their own points of views.Practice proves this equally democratical relationship bewteen teachers and students is effective both in helping students obtain knowledge and improve moral level.

Have you heard about the Gurukula System? http://www.udupipages.com/educate/gurukula.html It gives some information on it. The old culture is trying to make a re-entry. Usually, such schools are located away from the buzz of the city and all its useless distractions, among trees and peaceful riversides. Only a few children are admitted to stay and study there. Naturally, the morality of the kids will be very good, provided, they do not fall prey to the present day distractions that abound the media as well as in life itself.

Not for nothing Confucius' doctrines are being spoken of even today. His was a wonderful philosophy. It is only for us to follow and reap its good benefits. How many people are missing the truly good things in the name of "enjoyment"?

How about private tutions there in China? Are they in vogue? Here, it is quite rampant and almost a menace. The parents have to shell down huge sums of fees to the "private teacher". Let me define the private teacher. Usually, it is a person who teaches after his normal occupation in a school/college. Though it is not legal, they do this by not teaching the way it should be in schools/colleges to make them turn to private tutions with the hope to secure high marks in the examinations (that is the intention and not learning!). By this, they swindle a lot of money. I hope you understood the point.

Private tuition in China's big cities is coming out like spring bamboo shoots these days.Those who expect their children to surpass their schoolmates in examinations or to gain some special skills such as playing violin , piano, painting or oral English enhance, will seek famous home teachers to coach their children.For their children,parents are willing to swindle that big sum of tuition fees(each hour 40 RMB Yuan).
And hometeachers make full use of their free time,mainly in the evenings,to make piles of extra money.
But what is the result?
As you know,Chinese children's study tasks at school have already been too heavy --10 to 12 periods of classes each day.They have not at all extra energy to accept the extra tuition.
In order not to let their parents down,they have to gather up their spirits to sit up night.No wonder they say the businest persons in China are school children.Kind parents and poor children!

For the curious: 40 RMB is about 5 US dollars... however, it is a more significant part of the parents income than many Americans would imagine...

JianHua, I find (at chinamarket-dot-com-dot-hk) that the average income in NanJing for year 2000 was $8233 ...IN HONG KONG DOLLARS! which last I knew were about the same as RMB... so just over US$1000! Now, it says "for each citizen" and I don't know if that means 'per salary' or if -- for example -- Mom and Dad work but have one child in school (no income) and one of their parents (grandparent to the child) lives with them (no income)... were the two salaries added and then the sum divided by four (the number of 'citizens' living off the incomes?

What would you guess?

Even if that income is averaged over those citizens who work and those who do not, my little example would have a family of four living on US$4000 per year, and paying US$5 per hour, let's say 4 hours per week (I'm guessing), or ~US$1000 for the EXTRA schooling for the child... maybe a little less if the kid gets the summer off from tutoring as well as school!

And of course, that is just the figure for residents of NanJing, a progressive city. How much more difficult for a family living in a rural area to find and to afford such private education!

Just another example of the differences that make us still the same, world around. ~'spin!~

dinu, what a wonderful school. i want to go there :-D
i started reading about the school and found myself at the google search engine and the dictionary, finding out what words meant and what different philosophies, religions, languages etc they were refering too. i feel a pull to read more and experience more about this.
i would also like to read the confuscious doctrines, a book(s) on the hindu religion and buddism. any suggestions for a beginner?
this is a terrific thread and i'm learning ever so much about your different lands, philosophies and how much we are alike and different.
debi z

Confucius (551 -- 479 BC),the most famous educator in Chinese history.He was the first to set up a private school,
in which there were 3000 pupils listening to his doctrines.
His moral teaching stressed the importance of the traditional relations of the filial piety and brotherly respect.
here are some of his sayings.
Gentlemen have nothing to compete for.
(君子无所争)
Smart and willing to learn,never feeling ashamed to ask one's subordinates or people below,such is called 'knowledge'.
(敏而好学,不耻下问,是以谓之'文'.)
Never be tired of learning,never be wearied of teaching.
(学而不厌,诲人不倦.)
If three of us are walking together,at least one of the other two is good enough to be my teacher.
(三人行,必有我师焉.)
......
If you want to have an overview of ancient China and its culture,
you had better begin with Confucian Analects.
By the way,i read a book 'The story of Man' written by Van Loon,in which there was a chapter mentioned of Confucius.

Crystalspin,
From the macroscopic view,I cannot give you a satisfactory answer.Now taking the example of the people around me.Hope you will form a general idea of the financial condition.
DW is a country lady whose mainly income is out of the fields.
and on average her yearly is 2000 yuan.
One of my uncle's sons is a cab driver between a country road,whose daily income is about 50 yuan.
And of mine,each month over 2000 yuan(high pay here).
So you can tell that a home tutor makes 80 yuan's extra two hours one evening is really a big amount.
One more thing should tell you the price here is much lower than yours.
School summer vacation is coming very soon.It is right time for private tutors to make their extras.But not for me.I will have a good relaxation.For me,free time is of great treasure.



This message was edited Jun 21, 2004 9:38 AM

I understand that the comparison of $/yuan amounts (whether in salary or in tuition!) between countries is not valid straight across. The point I tried to make was that parents in any country will make sacrifices for their children's futures!

I'm not sure I said it well... (I expected to get some other responses!) -- but I will add it is important in any culture or society to (try to) make the right choices with your investments! 40RMB/hour for music instruction is a bargain if the person grows up to be a famous erhu/violin player, supports an extended family, and/or gets great personal satisfaction from the skill... however, if the child has little talent, will never be better than mediocre, and will abandon the instrument as soon as having to go to work for a living -- then the teacher is in fact a swindler for taking the money!

Thank you, JianHua, for including the hanzi for the Confucius quotes -- how do you do that?(!) -- I am copying them for my study of written Chinese!
~'spin!~

I use Microsoft 2.0 Chinese -English vesion to deal with the Hanzi(Chinese characters).Each Hanzi needs hitting the keyboard 2 -- 5 times.I think typing Hanzi is as fast and easy as English words.

Today is Chinese traditional folk festival 'Duanwu Jie'.
Duanwu Jie ,also called Dragon Boat Festival,falls on the anniversary of the day (May 5,lunar calendar) the ancient poet Qu Yuan committed suicide by jumping into the Miluo River,when dragon boat races were held and 'Zongzi'(glutinous rice dumplings wrapped by bamboo or reed leaves) were eaten.Ever since then,people have formed the habbit of eating Zongzi on May 5 in memory of his patriotic spirits.

Here are some of his poems: http://www.lingshidao.com/hanshi/quyuan.htm

Please pass the dumplings, Jianhua!

Yesterday noon school canteen delivered each of us a portion of Duanwu meal -- two steamed Zongzi's (eaten dipped with sugar)and two pickled double-yolk duck-eggs (scooped with a spoon),yummy!
Gardenwife,your link is great.I will surely spend some of my time to read Qu Yuan's poems in English.

Heheheh...I think this is great...Gardenwife...you are wonderful...really...lol...Jianhua...well...You are great too...to learn...about your region...what a wonderful...thing..our worlds are different...but...really there are many same ways...just different meaning...hehehe...We have come a long ...way ..you and me...we shared so much...I have learned..over and over...of Chinese ways...different...but meaningful...I think...When I was younger...I did not need to learn..of other ways...being American...maybe I was lost in our ways..but...in all this time...oh....oh ....oh...I have learned so much...you have taught me...so much...hehehe...thank you..for providing me...and the rest with so many things...Hehehehe do you remember..."Tig" and the first brug seeds????? oh I had such a great time.. learning your way of prograping..them...lol...I am so happy....that you share...I feel blessed...really...to learn such things..from you...Our friendship...will go on and on...I wish for you...a joy...in DG....as I have recieved...from it...smiles...Diana....

Nice to see you posting again, Diana. :)

Jianhua, I love pickled chicken eggs, so I imagine I might like duck eggs prepared that way. Here, we pickle eggs with vinegar and beets. There are also mustard pickled eggs which are very good.